Small firms need affordable finance:govt

AFFORDABLE finance for small businesses has been put on the agenda of this weekend's Group of 20 meeting to help drive jobs, innovation and growth, Small Business Minister Bruce Billson says.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's major developed and developing economies will converge on Sydney for the first G20 meeting under Australia's 2014 presidency.

Mr Billson told a conference in Sydney on Thursday that access to affordable finance is the "oxygen of enterprise".

"Small businesses need good access to affordable finance to start up and grow, and the financial sector needs to deliver for small businesses," he said.

"The government wants to encourage people to start small businesses."

He said the government in Australia is committed to working with regulators, including the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, to identify possible impediments to small business access to finance.

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